Thursday, June 28, 2012

We had kind of been avoiding Raniero’s for awhile, and for
various reasons. The day that we finally
planned to cross it off of the list, it looked like our dinner may not come to
fruition. Courtney was stuck in horrible
traffic from Mason to Raniero’s Cold Spring location, not far past NKU. Of course, she had also left her cell phone
at home that day, so therefore could not communicate this delay to Robyn. She ended up being almost a full half hour
late. Being the awesome, patient friend
that she is, Robyn waited. By the time
we were both there, our stomachs were growling.
This day surely warranted an appetizer.

We walked right in and were given our choice of seats. We selected a high top table, ordered our
drinks, and promptly perused the starter selections. When we looked at the menu, it stated that
they served Pepsi products. We wanted
Cokes, but both ordered Mountain Dew instead.
When we told our server this, she surprised us by saying that even
though the menu says otherwise, they only serve Coke products. Score!

There were a few things that stood out: the standard yet typically delicious Garlic
Knots, the Bosco Sticks (cheese-filled breadsticks), and the Luigi Snackers
(kind of like a pizza hot pocket).
However, what really caught our eye were the Queso Cheez Stix, which
promised to give us crunchy tortilla snackers filled with warm queso. Our waitress fully endorsed this selection,
so we decided to give it a go, turning a blind eye to its ridiculous
spelling. Pizza-wise, we decided to go
simple this round, and selected Zia’s Pepperoni Pie. This pizza promised to bring us pepperoni
“stacked high and side-to-side”.
Sometimes, that is all a pair of girls need.

Apparently we ate three of these before remembering to take a picture.

Honest reaction: the
Queso Cheez Stix (ok, that is impossible to write without cringing) were good
enough for a seemingly frozen appetizer.
We were hungry, so not all that picky, and we had no problem splitting
these up and finishing them off.
However, we realize that it was not the most delicious of
appetizers. These surely are not fresh;
we both believe that they originally hailed from the freezer section. Accompanying six of these deep-fried treats
was a little cup of salsa, likely of the Pace or Kroger brand variety. We’re really not complaining about these –
they were completely edible, and we were so hungry that we did not care. However, it is something to note if you are
in the market for a unique, homemade appetizer.
In that case, this is not the appetizer for you. It’s also not for you if you hate purposeful
misspellings (Cheez. Stix. Ugh).

They might as well call them Kaysoh Cheez Stix.

Then came our pizza.
And folks, this is really the first time that we disagreed on a
pizza. Courtney liked it fine. It was just a good, standard pepperoni
pizza. It had a good, greasy flavor that
you expect from this classic pie. The
pepperoni itself was zesty, just as the menu promised. Robyn, on the other hand, did not care for
this pizza at all. She ate it – just as
with the Queso Stix, it was edible – but she really didn’t enjoy it. Nothing about the pizza stood out or even hit
the spot, and she was disappointed in pretty much every aspect of the pizza,
which bummed her out. While Robyn is the
deeply in love with some greasy kinds of pizza (see: Jet’s), she did not like
the amount or flavor of grease that seemed to be pooling all over the plate and
seeping through the crust alarmingly.

The whole shabang.

Ewwwwwwww

After Robyn sopped up excess grease with a napkin.

Now, back to agreeing.
We both agree that this pizza was a rip-off. As aforementioned, this pizza description
promised this specialty option to be “stacked high and side-to-side with zesty
pepperoni”. Only the zesty part of this
description is correct; the pepperoni was not that prevalent. There was really just a normal amount on it,
which kind of pisses us off. Our 12-inch
pizza was $13.95. Before seeing this
pizza, Courtney had placed a to-go order for a large, 16-inch of the same
variety. This one was $19.95. Twenty dollars for a pepperoni pizza? It just seems like a bit much. In drafting this post, Courtney checked out
their menu again and saw that you can order a 16” “Pizza by the Pie” with one
topping (example: pepperoni) for $16.50.
We are willing to bet that the difference in the amount of pepperoni
between that and the Zia’s specialty kind is minimal. Keep this in mind and save yourself some
money if you’re ever in the mood for a simple pepperoni pizza from Raniero’s.
The Zia is not worth it! It is worth
noting, however, that they seem to have good combo deals (under $5) if you’re
looking for just a plain slice or two and a drink.

Does ANYONE think this pepperoni is stacked "high and side-to-side"?

I suppose Raniero’s could have been a better experience;
perhaps we just didn’t order the right things.
We’ve both heard good things from many different people (we actually ran
into two different couples that we know just in our quick visit), so the place
must be doing something right. We understand
that other appetizers choices are decent.
In fact, when we ran into our friend Jeff there that evening, he
provided us with this quote: “Who needs
Mario when you’ve got Luigi Snackers?” The service was quality, and the
atmosphere (an old Blockbuster) is nice for a pizza parlor/bar. It is also worth noting that Raniero’s offers
a 24” Pizza Challenge in which two collaborating contestants struggle to
consume a 24” cheese pizza in less than 10 minutes. If they finish within the allotted time,
their pizza is on the house; if not, they must fork up the dough. From the looks of their site, it looks like
they are trying to petition this contest for Man v. Food. Courtney’s brother has actually championed
this feat, and has his picture framed on the Raniero’s wall. Her family is very proud.

Here’s our biggest takeaway from our Raniero’s
experience: it’s expensive. We’ve not had any complaints, really, about
pizza pricing until this point. Some
places are more than others, but some are also better than others, or perhaps
provide more quality ingredients (some of which are very noticeable). At Raniero’s, we went about as simple as we
could, but that wasn’t reflected in the price, and unfortunately the price
wasn’t balanced with the quality. If you have $20 to spend on a pepperoni
pizza, you’re probably better off going somewhere that offers you either better
pizza, or the ability to add side items for that amount.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

If a pizza falls in the oven and no one is around to taste
it, does it make a good meal?Walking into VanZandt, we had our choice of any table or barstool that
we wanted-this place was a ghost town, despite the fact that it was about 7:00
on a Friday.There was only one
couple, and later, a family who were in the restaurant along with us.If this pizza is so good, why is no one
lined up to eat it?The décor is
modern and casual, and the atmosphere is clean and clutter-free.My guess is that, with the lack of
customers that seem to be stopping by, they have some time to tidy up and stay
on top of housekeeping.

One little thorn in the side of this visit was the fact that
we couldn’t order an adult beverage.In a “Tavern!”We rarely
indulge in alcohol on our pizza adventures, because neither of us owns a money
tree, and you can imagine how expensive that would become as we blaze through
all 50 spots (sugar daddies, request an application within and Robyn will
return your call as soon as possible).But, if ever there was a day that we wanted some booze to go with our
pizza, it was that evening, and we were denied.“We don’t have a liquor license right now,” our server
lamented, as we scanned the desolate bar area.The handles were taken off the taps, the wine cases barren,
and the glasses collecting dust on the shelves.It was a sad, sad scene.

While browsing the Four Square tips for VanZandt,
Robyn noticed that the “mayor” of the restaurant had listed his phone number,
along with an invitation to walk to his nearby home and share a cigar with
him.Ok, whacko.We’ll just mosey on down to your front
porch in a few and light up a stogie with you.Sorry, but we’re not about to step into that custom-built
crazy trap, Mr. Mayor.Robyn will,
however, make use of your phone number, which you so strangely listed on a
public social media forum.As we
waited for our order, she sent a text to Mr. Mayor to inquire about the lack of
a liquor license at Van Zandt.Can
you believe he didn’t even text back?!Someone is not taking their duties as “mayor” very seriously, and the
people of North College Hill should be outraged.So, the details regarding the liquor license (or absence of)
are unclear, but it appears that some Urbanspoon
users who visited back in maybe April or May were also confronted with the same
disappointment at that time.Maybe
they have changed that by the time this post goes up, but that’s how it was for
us on June the 1st.

Anyway, you probably want to know about the pizza.They have 6 varieties, which can be
good if you’re overwhelmed by lots of choices (like Courtney).VanZandt isn’t specifically a pizza
parlor or an Italian restaurant, but their pizzas have garnered enough
attention to make an appearance on Cincinnati Magazine’s list.Their burgers are also an award-winning
item, which we noticed the couple dining near us enjoying.Since the pizzas were small,
individual-sized pies, we each chose a different pizza, with the intention of
sharing.Robyn chose the Six
Cheese pizza, which had provolone, cheddar, gorgonzola, swiss, smoked gouda,
and mozzarella.Courtney chose the
Cheeseburger pizza, which included ground beef, onion, cheddar, lettuce, and
tomato.

baby pizza

Behold: the Six Cheese Pizza

The Six Cheese pizza did not have sauce, which wasn’t really
clear from the menu (it didn’t state that it had an olive oil base or anything
like that, either).It was also
extremely thin.See the picture
above?That is the Six Cheese
pizza, thinner than my little cell phone and nearly as long.However, the flavors of the six cheeses
were buttery and excellent, and the crust was tasty as well.In Robyn’s opinion, this was basically
a “fancy” order of cheesy bread.This isn’t a great option if you are really hungry and not sharing food
with another person as we were doing.On the other hand, it would be great with a salad if you were looking
for something basic, but with rich, full flavors.

Cheeseburger, cheeseburger

Perhaps surprisingly, the Cheeseburger Pizza was also an
overall win.Now, this pizza was
tempting on the menu.We hadn’t
yet had one of this kind and, since we both love a good cheeseburger, we
figured it was a good opportunity.When our order came, though, we grew more skeptical.There was lettuce and tomato atop its
surface, as we had expected, but they appeared to be mixed with something.Mayonnaise.The menu didn’t note this particular feature, and it just
looked, well, bad.Courtney was honestly a little fearful
of that first bite.But, you know
what?It works.Everything on this pizza is a component
of your typical cheeseburger, including the lettuce, tomato, pickles (diced for
the pizza), and ketchup (in lieu of a marinara sauce).The crust replaces the standard bun,
but serves the purpose just the same.This pizza was much more filling that the 6 Cheese, and really pretty delicious.While it strays from the traditional
formula for pizza, it is a welcome change from the classic combo of marinara
and mozzarella.

" My God, Sharon, where did you get that glass of wine? Everyone knows VanZandt doesn't serve alcohol!"

In the end,it
is two thumbs up for the pizza at Van Zandt tavern.We were happy with both choices for a variety of different
reasons, and they get bonus points for the creativity displayed in their cheeseburger
concoction.That being said, the
two things that stick in our memories the most is their missing liquor license
(we both really needed a drink that day, people), and the unresponsive man who
calls himself the VZ mayor.We are
hopeful that, if we ever make the trip to North College Hill again, we will be
greeted with a cold one from the bar and a cigar from Mr. Mayor.

When we walked in Pomodori’s front door, the place seemed
spacious and fairly empty. We saw
a number of empty tables to the right, as we walked in and up a few steps. But then, we were seated. Our table was in a no-frills older
dining room facing street traffic.
We were packed in, closely and awkwardly, between a family and a couple,
both of which could hear every word we said, and vice versa. There was also a lot of staring going
on; it was hard not to, since everyone was packed into such a tight space. Despite all attempts to stay engaged at
your own table, it was distracting to have everyone in such close
proximity. This might not bother
some people, but we found it rather uncomfortable.

Another thing possibly worth noting about the atmosphere was
the presence of flies buzzing around our table. Judging from our view in the parking lot, they keep a door
at the back of the kitchen open (maybe just during hot weather?), which likely
lets in a few flies from outside (eh, it happens). While the flies did not terribly bother us, or our food, we
thought this might be something you’d like to know.

Robyn's pizza, the "Gourmet"

The wood-fired pizzas are offered only in a smaller, individual size, so we both decided on two different options. Robyn’s pizza, overall, was a success. She ordered the “Gourmet” wood fired
pizza, which, according to the menu, included homemade pesto sauce (a blend of
basil and herbs, olive oil, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese – yum!) topped with
sautéed fresh mushrooms, green peppers, black and green olives, onions, capers,
and artichoke hearts, sprinkled with mozzarella and provolone cheeses. Robyn opted to leave off the
capers and green olives as a matter of preference, and they did so without any
objections. The crust beneath the
toppings was a thin, pliable sheet of dough that was merely a vehicle for all
of the toppings on their digestive journey. The outer edges of the crust were more pronounced since they
weren’t forced to hold the weight of all those toppings, and the wood fired
taste was quite good. As far as
the toppings go, they all tasted fine.
The pesto sauce had a quality flavor and, pleasantly, did not overwhelm
the rest of the pizza.

A close-up of Robyn's pizza with the yummy pesto sauce

By recommendation of a friend (blog follower Mike!),
Courtney ordered the Roasted
Pepper wood-fired pizza. This
pizza is a rather simple one, involving a few variations of just a couple key
ingredients. There are both roasted
red and green peppers and five different cheeses, all on a “fresh pressed
garlic and olive oil crust”. The
first bite was one to remember.
The pizza tasted warm and buttery, truly of the “melt in your mouth”
variety. The core of the crust was
thin and, as Robyn stated above, really just serves as a shovel for the cheese
and other toppings. The wood-fired
outer crust, however, was as delicious as you’d hope it to be. Courtney really enjoyed this one. Though we’ve enjoyed trying new pizza
styles and fancy toppings throughout this blogging expedition, sometimes sticking
with simple is a good choice.

Courtney's Roasted Pepper pizza (note: does not come with Chapstick)

If we went back, Robyn would definitely try a different
pizza. Even though she liked hers,
there were so many varieties and combinations of toppings that sounded like
they would be neat to try. On this
visit, other considerations included the Gorgonzola Walnut (title explains it
all), and the Leeks, Pancetta, and Goat Cheese (leeks on pizza?!). Watching the dough prep and handiwork
of the pizzas being made in front of the wood-fired oven is a bonus at this
place as well. So, when you need
to avoid the awkward eye contact with your neighboring table, you can avert
your eyes to the pizza-making techniques on display.

We can verify the first claim, but the rest...not so much.

Pomodori’s certainly makes some bold claims
in their advertising (evidenced by the pictures above), but we are reluctant to
agree with them. We would like to
amend their tagline of “best” pizza in Cincinnati to “one of the best.” It didn’t blow either of us away, but Pomodori’s creations definitely
fit the standards of well-made pizza.
The ingredients, the preparation and cooking methods, and the finished
product all hold true to the creed of award winning pizzas. However, this is war, and decisions
must be made. For Robyn, the
winner was clear. Courtney tossed
and turned a little before making her decision. In the end, this round in the Clifton Pizza Wars goes to
Adriatico’s.

About Me

We are on a mission to taste test the 50 best pizzas in Cincinnati, as determined by the November 2011 issue of Cincinnati Magazine. In doing so, we hope to expand on their reviews and offer up our own experiences at each pizza hot spot. By no means are we trained food critics, but we like pizza and we like writing, so this gives us the opportunity to enjoy both.